Try to imagine a scenario where you and your two children were in a minor car accident about a week ago. You struck your head on the door but your children were safely secured in their car seats and didn’t suffer any apparent injuries. You were taken to Inova, and your doctor stitched you up, did a precursory exam on you and your children and then sent you home.

Now, a week later, you and your children have been suffering severe headaches, your daughter can’t sleep and your son has been obnoxiously irritable. Could your doctor have missed something?

How to Help Your Doctor Diagnose Coup-Contrecoup

Coup-contrecoup can easily be missed during an exam. This is why it is extremely important that you describe your accident to your doctor as well as ask questions about head trauma possibilities with as much detail as possible. Even if your head didn’t directly impact or strike anything, sudden force or an abrupt acceleration/deceleration could cause the brain to shift and collide into the skull, causing contusions or countrecoup injuries.

Therefore, you need to be as direct as possible with your physician and make sure he does a thorough exam of everyone’s heads, skulls, and brains if there was any chance one of you may have suffered brain damage.

Here’s what you must do when you interact with your family doctor:

Describe your accident and injury

Accurately describe pain level and changes with vision, mood, or stability since the accident

Request a CT, MRI, or brain scan to make sure there is no internal damage

Specifically ask about the possibility of coup-contrecoup

Although it may be hard or awkward to question your physician, when it comes to your or your child’s health, you need to make sure all areas are covered. Likewise, don’t allow a doctor’s mistake to cost you everything. If you believe your head injury or a loved one’s injury was misdiagnosed, contact an experienced brain injury lawyer to discuss possible damages and compensation.

There are no excuses for a misdiagnosis, especially if you followed the necessary precautions during the initial visit. Call us today for a free consultation to get the justice you deserve.

Need more information about brain injury claims? Feel free to browse our site to see how our experience can help you.